US troops gather for onslaught as Mosul unrest threatens election

Richard Beeston
London Times
17 January 2005

THOUSANDS of American reinforcements are pouring into Iraq's northern capital for a battle that could decide the fate of the country's elections, being held in less than two weeks. In the biggest military operation since US troops stormed the rebel city of Fallujah two months ago, paratroopers, infantrymen and armoured units have converged on the city over the past two weeks, increasing the number of Americans on the ground to more than 10,000. Their objective is not only to wrest back control of the city from insurgents, but to create enough stability so that Mosul's inhabitants can be coaxed into voting in the January 30 elections. For the first time thousands of newly trained Iraqi troops have also been drafted in and will provide security at voting stations on polling day.

Several American commanders said that the objective could become the deciding factor in determining whether the polls to elect the country's first democratic parliament are a success or a failure. "Based on what I have seen I think we can hold elections. I am optimistic that we can change perceptions and restore security," said LieutenantColonel David Miller, an infantry commander who arrived two weeks ago to restore control of Mosul's ancient city centre. "We are already seeing progress on the ground. The population will go with whoever they think is successful."

American and Iraqi leaders have admitted that free and fair elections will be almost impossible in four of the country's central provinces, where the Sunni Muslim insurgents have vowed to stop the vote. While voters are expected to cast their ballots in the Shia Muslim South and the Kurdish North, this ethnically mixed city of two million could go either way. Half the population is Sunni Arab, but there are also large minorities of Kurds, Christians and other ethnic groups who might well vote if free from intimidation.
On patrol with the Americans it is easy to see how divided Mosul is. In Kurdish areas the population waves enthusiastically at a passing patrol. In Arab areas the same Americans are greeted with angry stares and the troops scan rooftops and alleys for the next ambush. The once passive city, which was a model of postwar co- operation, has in the past two months become one of the bloodiest. On November 8 militants staged a co-ordinated attack, seizing all but three of the city's 33 police stations. Some 8,000 Iraqi police officers fled, leaving behind weapons and equipment. Last month a young Saudi suicide bomber managed to infiltrate the largest American base here and killed 22 people in a dining hall _ the worst single American toll of the insurgency.

Lieutenant-Colonel Tom Heslin, who commands a giant swath of residential districts on the eastern side of the Tigris river, which dissects the city, said that since arriving his men had been involved in daily skirmishes with the rebels. On Saturday one of his patrols was ambushed from three sides at a busy intersection and tanks had to use their main guns to silence the attackers. A US Army helicopter sent in to help was hit by ground fire and forced to make an emergency landing. Yesterday, during a weapons search of a fruit and vegetable market, a rocket-propelled grenade landed at the feet of some soldiers but failed to explode. "We have had engagements every single day since we arrived," Lieutenant-Colonel Heslin said. "We expect that to continue and even intensify the closer we get to election day."

How Mosul's population will respond to the struggle has yet to be decided. In interviews with half a dozen residents yesterday, only one, a professor at the local university, said that he was optimistic and intended to vote. One man, who described himself as a taxi driver, said that he and others like him were far too afraid: "The mujahidin have handed out leaflets and written on the walls saying they will cut off the heads of anyone daring to vote. There is no way I am going to risk my life."

A retired soldier called Ibrahim, who said that he had trained with the British military in the early 1970s, looked terrified when asked whether he intended to cast his ballot. "I am happy to invite you to my house. We can talk about my memories of Wiltshire and Scotland," he said. "But I would rather not talk about the elections."

Copyright 2005 Times Newspapers Ltd.

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Citation: Richard Beeston, "US troops gather for onslaught as Mosul unrest threatens election," London Times, 17 January 2005.